The Unidos da Viradouro samba school emerged as the 2024 Rio de Janeiro Carnival champion, marking the 40th anniversary of the Marquês de Sapucaí Sambódromo as the parade's venue. Viradouro's performance earned them 270 points, the highest score among the 12 samba schools in the Special Group, securing their third title. Their previous win was in 2020.
This year's competition was fraught with tension even before the results were announced. At the beginning of the scoring process, Jorge Perlingeiro, president of the Independent League of Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro (Liesa)—the organizer of the Special Group—revealed that Grande Rio, Imperatriz, Mocidade, and Beija-Flor had filed an appeal against Viradouro. They requested a 0.5 point penalty for an alleged irregularity in the front committee, claiming that the visible limit of 15 members during the performance was exceeded. However, since Viradouro held a 0.7 point lead over the runner-up, not even a successful appeal could have changed the outcome.
Viradouro's winning samba paid homage to the serpent vodun cult, originating from the west coast of Africa. The school made its parade entry on Monday (Feb. 12), the second day of the parades. Following Viradouro in the top five were Imperatriz Leopoldinense, Grande Rio, Salgueiro, Portela, and Vila Isabel. These schools will join Viradouro for the Parade of Champions, scheduled for next Saturday (17) at the Sambódromo.
